05/09/13, These eyepiece sets have not been available since February 2009. The Zeiss Abbe Barlows are no longer available as of today.

Zeiss Abbe II Eyepieces

A classic has been reborn for uncompromising planetary observers

The rumors are true. Carl Zeiss Jena is making a limited production of
these legendary eyepieces exclusively for Baader Planetarium. Sold as
a set of four, this collection consists of essential focal lengths with
an improved lens design: 16mm, 10mm, 6mm and 4mm. No short cuts were taken
with this production. Only the finest, ultra-expensive optical glass has
been used throughout. The oculars afford a full 43 degrees apparent field
of view that is free of distortion. Two additional internal stray light
baffles yield ultra high contrast. Ultimate Zeiss high-efficiency multi-coatings
provide perfect color correction and sharpness to the edge. Image brightness
with these eyepieces is unsurpassed.

Roland Christen of Astro-Physics offers these comments after evaluating
a pre-production set of the Zeiss Abbe II eyepieces:

" I have tried these oculars, and I can
say for sure that they are sharp to the edge (assuming that the objective
is free of coma, astigmatism and field curvature), and the image is very
contrasty. The internals are clean and the coatings are first class. There
is no ghosting of any kind, even with bright objects in the view, and
no scatter. Planets are sharp with dark sky at the edge of the ball of
the planet when using a good objective lens. Lateral color is well controlled
and the field is flat and orthoscopic. The optical design is by Dr. Pudenz
of Zeiss Jena, and the elements were ground, polished, coated and final
assembled at Zeiss Jena".

The Zeiss Abbe II eyepiece design features four tiny razor sharp triangular
cutouts (field marks) spaced at 90 degree intervals in the field stop
of the eyepiece. These triangles act as a virtual crosshair for object
centering and field size drift measurements, but of course, do not put
an actual crosshair into the field. A star may be placed into one triangle
and when the star gets to the opposite triangle, it is proof that the
star went through the center of the field of view.

Concerns have been raised about the potential distraction of the cutouts
when observing the moon, Sun, or other daytime scenes. They will not be
noticeable for deep sky or planetary viewing. For these customers, we
will provide eyepieces that have been modified with black paint covering
the triangle cutouts, effectively removing them from view. However, Thomas
Baader, President of Baader Planetarium strongly urges that customers
carefully consider the long-term historical value of these optics before
ordering them with the triangles eliminated, as the alteration cannot
be undone. In an open letter to Astro-Physics customers dated July 24,
2008, he writes:

"We do not recommend that anyone prematurely
have the Abbe II micrometric field marks eliminated . . .

Any owner of a set of ABBE II oculars who imagines that this feature may
prove to be objectionable should take comfort in the fact that the four
field marks can be easily (and permanently) removed simply by applying
four tiny opaque droplets of flat black optical paint. Consequently, at
this time we are recommending that customers accept delivery of the Abbe
II eyepieces as they were designed and fabricated by Zeiss and simply
try them. We will remove these four marks free of charge for any customer
requesting this service.

In any event, these field marks are part of a unique design that is no
doubt destined to be regarded as a collectible of historical significance.
Every owner of these eyepieces should think long and hard about (permanently)
removing them, thereby possibly detracting from the future market value
of a cherished set of unique eyepieces."

We have chosen to leave the decision up to you, the ultimate user. Astro-Physics is offering two different versions of the eyepieces as described below. Please note each version is available with or without the Abbe Barlow.

Shipment of the modified eyepiece sets will be delayed approximately 4 weeks. Please note that cancellation of the modified eyepiece sets after the units have been modified will result in forfeiture of your entire deposit. Although the modified eyepieces may be returned for warranty repair or exchange, a full refund is not available. If you choose to return the modified eyepieces because you are no longer interested, a 50% restocking fee will be applied.

For all customers who purchase an unaltered Abbe II set from us, Astro-Physics
will offer a one-time triangle elimination service (blacken the triangle cutout areas), free of charge, three
months after the eyepieces have been sold. Restrictions apply to this
service, which include:

Set(s) must have been purchased from Astro-Physics

Customer must be original purchaser of set(s)

Entire set must be modified at one time (no partial sets)

All sets to be altered must arrive in time for the process. You must call or email for a return authorization no later than January 30, 2009. Complete eyepiece sets must be received between February 2 and February 6, 2009. The eyepieces will be altered and ready for shipment back within a couple of weeks. This process will only be done once with all sets in one batch. We will not perform
this service again at no charge. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

The customer is responsible for all shipping charges to Astro-Physics as well as all shipping charges for the return shipment.

When matched with a Carl Zeiss
2x Abbe Barlow lens (optional), eyepiece focal lengths are halved
without any redundancy or compromise of sharpness and resolution.

For the ultimate viewing experience, use two sets of these marvelous
eyepieces with the Baader Mark
V Binocular Viewer! The incredible contrast and sharpness of these
oculars combined with the comfort and virtual three dimensional effect
of using both eyes will give views of planetary and lunar features that
will seem to "pop right out" where you could simply reach out
and touch them!

Walnut storage case is a free gift with purchase while supplies last.
Each case provides storage for two sets of eyepieces (one set horizontal
and the other vertical) and a Carl Zeiss 2x Abbe Barlow. Only one case
will be allowed per person. Quantities are limited and will be confirmed
upon receipt of shipment. Recipients will be notified when final payment
for eyepieces is requested.

Match
them with a Carl Zeiss 2x Abbe Barlow...

Using the Zeiss Abbe II eyepieces with a
Carl Zeiss 2x Abbe Barlow lens doubles the effective focal length of the telescope,
or conversely, halves the focal length of the eyepieces to 8mm, 5mm, 3mm,
and 2mm without
any redundancy or compromise of sharpness and resolution.

We would not recommend using the Zeiss Abbe Barlow with the Mark V Binoviewer. If used on the eyepiece side, a Barlow magnifies inherent defects in the binoviewer’s prism. The Zeiss Abbe Barlow also has too short a focal length to be used effectively in front of the binoviewer, even though it could be attached using the T-threads. For binoviewer use, Roland
recommends the BARADV in front of, and no Barlow behind the binoviewer if a Barlow is desired.

This barlow features the Baader ClickLock eyepiece clamping system that grips your eyepiece firmly using a 3-point contact that accurately centers each
eyepiece. The ClickLock clamp is attached to the Barlow's body using standard T2 threads. The use of T2 threads greatly enhances the versatility of this Barlow in two important ways: It allows direct connection to a camera using a standard T-ring adapter, and it allows the addition of T2 extensions to effectively increase the magnification factor up to 3X, assuming that your telescope has sufficient in-travel to achieve focus. The effective change will vary somewhat with the eyepiece design you are using. We offer the following three T2 extensions (see our pricelist):